Tanzania
Ngorongoro
Ngorongoro: Wildlife on the Floor of a Volcanic Caldera
About 180 km west of Arusha, the protected area around the crater takes in volcanic highlands with several craters, the Serengeti plains on its northwestern side and Olduvai Gorge, where fossil finds have shaped what is known about early human evolution. The great migration of wildebeest, zebra and gazelles moves onto its plains in December and out again in June. Mornings and nights on the crater rim are chilly, especially from May to August.
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Arriving at Ngorongoro
Ngorongoro is an inland conservation area in northern Tanzania, not a port, so cruise travelers reach it on an overland program, most often by road from Arusha. You see the crater from a four-wheel-drive vehicle, which goes down to the floor on steep roads from the rim.
- Karatu, a highland town about 10 km from the gate, is the last place before the crater with cash machines. There are none inside the conservation area.
- Small kiosks at Loduare Gate and Naabi Hill Gate sell water, snacks and basic supplies, and there are no major shops inside.
- The number of vehicles allowed in the crater at one time is limited to 50.
- The rains fall mainly from mid-November to mid-May, and the roads in Tanzania's parks can become hazardous after heavy rain.
- Plastic bags are banned in Tanzania.
Game Drives and Park Rules
On the crater floor you stay in your vehicle except at designated viewpoints and picnic sites, and only four-wheel-drive vehicles may use the roads down from the rim. Rhinos are most active early in the morning and in the evening.
- Vehicles must keep to the designated descent and ascent roads, and traffic on them may be controlled.
- Walking is not allowed in most of the area because of dangerous wildlife. Guided walks with armed rangers are offered only in certain places.
- Follow park regulations and the advice of rangers, and do not buy safari tours from touts.
- Lake Magadi, a shallow alkaline lake in the southwest of the crater, often holds thousands of flamingos.
- The picnic site at Ngoitokitok Spring, near the eastern crater wall, looks over a swamp used by hippos and elephants.
Meals on Safari
There are no public restaurants in the crater, so your meals come from your lodge or camp. For a day on the crater floor, lodges pack lunches.
- Do not drink tap water. Carry one to two liters of water on a crater drive, because the floor can grow hot by the afternoon.
- Alcohol is not permitted on the drive down into the crater.
- Karatu, outside the gate, has restaurants serving local dishes such as ugali, nyama choma and banana stew.
- Serengeti, Kilimanjaro and Safari Lager are popular Tanzanian beers.
The Maasai
The Maasai are pastoralists who live inside the conservation area with their cattle, and the area is the only one in Tanzania that protects wildlife while allowing people to live on the land. The name is said to come from the sound of a Maasai cowbell.
- In the 1800s the Maasai drove out the Iraqw and Datooga peoples, who had lived here before them.
- Grazing cattle on the crater floor has been restricted since 2015.
- Lodge curio shops sell Maasai beadwork, shukas and carvings, and the markets in Karatu have a wider choice.
- Do not take horns, shells or other wildlife items out of Tanzania without a certified export permit; foreigners have been arrested at the border for trying.
A Brief History
Hominid species have lived in this landscape for at least 1.75 million years, and the conservation area in its present form dates from 1959. Its management of wildlife and Maasai land is still disputed.
- Two to three million years ago: A large volcano erupted and collapsed on itself, leaving the caldera.
- About 2,000 years ago to 1700: The Iraqw people came to the area about 2,000 years ago, and the Datooga joined them around 1700.
- 1892: Oscar Baumann became the first European known to set foot in the crater.
- Until 1914: Two German brothers, Adolph and Friedrich Siedentopf, farmed inside the crater until the First World War.
- 1950s: Mary and Louis Leakey began their excavations at Olduvai Gorge.
- 1959: The Ngorongoro Conservation Area was separated from Serengeti National Park to protect wildlife while securing Maasai land rights, and the authority that runs it was set up at the same time.
- 1979 and 2010: UNESCO inscribed the area as a World Heritage Site in 1979, and in 2010 it was recognized for its cultural importance as well.
- 2021: The government began moving Maasai residents to Msomera, about 600 km away, in a resettlement it calls voluntary and that a human rights group has described as coercive.
- To learn more ashore: The Olduvai Gorge Museum, founded by Mary Leakey and rebuilt in 2018, stands on the rim of the gorge about 5 km off the main road between the crater and the Serengeti. It shows fossils and stone tools from the gorge.
Ngorongoro with Children
A crater day means an early start, a steep drive down and hours in a vehicle, so it suits children who can sit still and keep quiet near animals.
- Younger children: Bring warm layers for the rim, a hat, snacks and water for the floor, and plan on the lodge's packed lunch at a picnic site.
- School age: Keep a list of animals: the crater has wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, gazelles and hippos, but no giraffes, impalas or crocodiles.
- Teenagers: At the Olduvai Gorge Museum, see the fossils and stone tools that made the gorge central to the study of early humans.
- Everyone: Lodges are often unfenced and animals may pass through at night, so ask for an escort after dark.
Accessible Travel
Most of a Ngorongoro visit happens from a vehicle, which helps travelers who cannot walk far, but the roads down into the crater are steep, narrow and rough. Ask your operator about vehicle steps and seating before you travel.
- The rim sits at about 2,200 to 2,400 meters, high enough to cause headaches, tiredness or shortness of breath in some visitors.
- Outside the vehicle, the only stops are designated viewpoints and picnic sites.
- Some parks in Tanzania are remote, and emergency access and evacuation can be difficult.
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